Just 50 miles today, from Colebrook, New Hampshire, to Hanover, Maine. It was great to have a short day, finished by lunch, but we certainly paid for it on the climbs. There were three of them, each a few miles long, and each with some sections at 6% or steeper. They gave us no real problems, but we were definitely in our lowest gears for some of the time.
Some of the highlights of the ride included:
· The coolest morning we’ve had in quite awhile – just 46 degrees. Definitely a morning for long sleeves, tights, and long gloves.
· Entering Maine, our 13th and final state (plus two provinces)
· Going over the 4,000-mile mark for the whole trip
· Seeing our first sign for Portland
· Riding over the Dixville Notch, with a beautiful lake near the top on the north side, and an initial drop on the south side that was so steep, I couldn’t even see the road until I was at the summit. Dixville Notch is famous for being the first place to cast presidential primary ballots. Voters gather to vote at the stroke of midnight on primary day.
So we set up camp before lunch, and then had a leisurely afternoon of blogging, napping, route planning, etc. Looks like we’re all set for tomorrow!
I realized the other day that I was using the word “epic” in my mind when thinking about this ride. I don’t know if it truly qualifies as epic (Who decides that, anyway?), but it definitely feels that way. When I think about riding 6 days a week for more than 9 weeks, about going more than 4,000 miles, about starting in San Francisco in the rain, riding over the Sierras, across the Nevada ranges and the Rockies, up and over Beartooth Pass, through rain and snow and hail and wind, traversing major parts of 11 states and two provinces, plus minor parts of two more states, it feels pretty epic to me. That’s interesting, because I haven’t done much in my life that I would count as epic. Rather, I have long pursued balance, trying to cultivate many aspects of myself in my activities, but resultantly not having a major focus on any single thing for an extended period of time. This is different. I’m not sure how much epic stuff I’ll do in the future, but I’m enjoying how it feels.
Some of the highlights of the ride included:
· The coolest morning we’ve had in quite awhile – just 46 degrees. Definitely a morning for long sleeves, tights, and long gloves.
· Entering Maine, our 13th and final state (plus two provinces)
· Going over the 4,000-mile mark for the whole trip
· Seeing our first sign for Portland
· Riding over the Dixville Notch, with a beautiful lake near the top on the north side, and an initial drop on the south side that was so steep, I couldn’t even see the road until I was at the summit. Dixville Notch is famous for being the first place to cast presidential primary ballots. Voters gather to vote at the stroke of midnight on primary day.
So we set up camp before lunch, and then had a leisurely afternoon of blogging, napping, route planning, etc. Looks like we’re all set for tomorrow!
I realized the other day that I was using the word “epic” in my mind when thinking about this ride. I don’t know if it truly qualifies as epic (Who decides that, anyway?), but it definitely feels that way. When I think about riding 6 days a week for more than 9 weeks, about going more than 4,000 miles, about starting in San Francisco in the rain, riding over the Sierras, across the Nevada ranges and the Rockies, up and over Beartooth Pass, through rain and snow and hail and wind, traversing major parts of 11 states and two provinces, plus minor parts of two more states, it feels pretty epic to me. That’s interesting, because I haven’t done much in my life that I would count as epic. Rather, I have long pursued balance, trying to cultivate many aspects of myself in my activities, but resultantly not having a major focus on any single thing for an extended period of time. This is different. I’m not sure how much epic stuff I’ll do in the future, but I’m enjoying how it feels.
No comments:
Post a Comment